The 62,000-strong audience claps politely when Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra strike up Vangelis’s Chariots of Fire theme – but their roar of approval when the cameras pan to an unexpected keyboard soloist is nothing short of heartwarming.

A global television audience of 1 billion+ also loved Rowan Atkinson’s side-splitting performance as Mr Bean, if the subsequent YouTube hits are anything to go by.